1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network photograph service system which provides a customer with a photograph service via a network such as the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
For providing a photograph service to a customer, a network photograph service has been proposed which provides a variety of services such as the order of extra prints, attachment of a photograph image to an electronic mail message, and download of picture image data by installing a variety of equipment (for example, scanner, a printer, and a server computer comprising a large capacity disc (hereinafter called an image server)) in a major wholesale lab to enable a customer to save a picture recorded in the image server and access the image server via a network.
The advantage of the network photograph service is that a customer can order a print even when the customer is staying at home or in an office. However, not everything (such as depositing a film or receiving a print) can be carried out on a network. Therefore, it is normal to provide the service through other agencies, such as a local camera shop or a minilab.
Viewed from the customer's perspective, the more agencies there are, the more convenient it is. However, it is preferable to have only one wholesale lab which receives orders, from the viewpoint of easier understanding of where to access when placing an order, or easier data management. Therefore, when a network photograph service is provided, it is better if a wholesale lab has concentrated equipment so that as many agencies as possible can be dealt with.
However, in the above case where all equipment is concentrated in one large scale wholesale lab as described above, it is inevitable that the date of delivery of a print will be delayed, since a delivery path from an agency to the wholesale lab becomes longer, and a wait time after depositing a film at an agency and before collection of the film is necessary.
Even though more rapid processing can be carried out by increasing the number of the wholesale labs to shorten the delivery path while increasing the frequency of collection and delivery, the advantage of a network photograph service system is lost. Moreover, the increased frequency of collection and delivery leads to a rise in collection and delivery cost. Therefore, this idea is not a preferable solution.